Fremd’s Kaufman makes capital decision

Kurt Kaufman hopes to capitalize on going to college and playing baseball not far from the state capitol.

The Fremd senior pitcher-outfielder plans to study political science or pre-law. For Kaufman there was no better place to get a combination of academic and athletic scholarship money than the University of Illinois-Springfield.

“Everything fit into place and it was a pretty easy decision for me,” Kaufman said of signing in November with the new Division II program which begins play this spring. “You can get good internships (in Springfield) and good hands-on experience so it will be a good experience for me. It worked out pretty well.”

The right-handed throwing and left-handed hitting Kaufman was 3-0 with a 2.88 ERA in 17 innings on the mound and hit .307 with 7 doubles and 19 RBI as Fremd won the Mid-Suburban League title last spring. Kaufman said he also had Division II offers from Lewis and Tiffin (Ohio), some D-I interest which included Illinois-Chicago and D-III interest.

But Kaufman liked the idea of he could potentially accomplish in the brand new UIS program coached by Brian Grunzke, who was an assistant at Northern Iowa and Arkansas-Little Rock.

“For me it wasn’t about going D-I, it was about going to college to play baseball,” said Kaufman, who has a 3.2 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and scored 26 on the ACT. “I could pitch and hit and possibly play the outfield as a freshman. It’s not about all the ‘glam’ of playing Division I baseball.

“Coach Grunzke knows what he’s doing. He has a lot of experience and he’s a really nice guy. He definitely struck a different chord with me than a lot of other coaches and made me feel like I’d be at home at Springfield.”

Kaufman said Grunzke saw him at the Stevenson showcase for some of the state’s top senior-to-be prospects and also saw him play in a couple of games. Kaufman also made an unofficial and official visit to UIS before making his decision.

“I thought about waiting … but I didn’t want to pass it up and wait because you never know what can happen later,” Kaufman said. “I have no regrets about the decision.”